Some of the top performers from Week 9 of the Texas High School Football season.
Len Hayward, Corpus Christi Caller-Times

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The Odem football team has a decal with "Logan" on its helmets as the Owls have dedicated their season to 5-year old Logan Martinez-Newkirk, who has stage 4 cancer.(Photo: Len Hayward/Caller-Times)Buy Photo

Armando Huerta has coached in two state championship games as an assistant but even those nerves could not compare to the butterflies he felt Friday night.

Huerta, the Odem head football coach, was playing Banquete in a district game but the extra nerves came when he told 5-year old Logan Newkirk-Martinez’s grandmother they were going to take the opening drive and score. Then after the score hand Logan the game-used ball.

“I was never as nervous as I was this past Friday night because of that,” Huerta said. “I told them you all know we are fighting for Logan and everything we are doing is to make that little boy proud.”

Logan’s presence at the game was a bit of a surprise for the Owls coaches and players even though they built a relationship over the last few weeks as Logan’s life and that of his family’s changed forever.

Logan had been complaining of pain in his left side in early October and was running a slight fever, but his grandmother, Carla Newkirk, was thinking it was from being back at school. On Oct. 12, his grandmother took him to a doctor on the advice of a school nurse in Odem. In less than 24 hours, Logan was in Driscoll Children’s Hospital after surgery to remove his left kidney because a large tumor was attached.

Logan was diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor, a common kidney cancer among children, but there was a complication in that some of the cancer cells had spread to Logan’s lungs. He is listed as being at Stage 4 and began radiation and chemotherapy treatments the following week. That same week he received a visit from the Odem football team’s captains.

“It was kind of sad, I guess, seeing him there but when he actually saw us and he was smiling and glad we were there that was cool,” said Odem quarterback Tevin Moreno. “It means a lot that we are supporting him.”

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Odem and Santa Gertrudis Academy battle during their game on Thursday, Sep. 20, 2018, at Javelina Stadium in Kingsville.(Photo: Casey Jackson/Caller-Times, )

The players had their jerseys on and brought him a “goody basket” that included blankets and a stuffed animal Logan rarely parts with, his grandmother said.

The outpouring of support and help for Logan and the family increased in the weeks after his initial diagnosis. Newkirk, who also has two granddaughters who attend school in Odem, said she had kept family and friends informed on his condition through Facebook, and it was through social media where Logan’s story began to pick up steam.

Meanwhile, on the way home from the hospital, Huerta said his players told him they were dedicating the season to him.

“They are the ones that said let’s dedicate our season to him,” Huerta said. “Let’s do this for him.”

Huerta said the next day he ordered decals with the name “Logan” that is on the front of Odem’s going down the center stripe.

Even when he ordered the decals, Huerta said the business that made them — Sports Decals — wanted to help and offered a sizeable discount because it was a tribute.

As Logan’s story and that of his family began to spread on social media, Banquete High School, which is where Newkirk went to high school, also wanted to help. The school raised money and also rolled out signs at the game that said “Today we play for Logan” among others at the game last Friday in Odem.

During the game, Newkirk said Logan had become a local star.

“He was on cloud nine,” Newkirk said. “Everybody was so nice, and we couldn’t even walk to the bathroom, there were people who said, ‘Can I have a picture with Logan?’ It was pretty overwhelming.”

Huerta said he was first greeted by Logan with Odem’s principal prior to the game and was surprised. That is when he told Newkirk they were going to score on their first drive.

He just wanted to know where they would be standing. The Owls scored on their first drive and handed the football to Logan after the score.

“There were some third downs where I got a little nervous,” Huerta said. “We got him the football and he put his drink down and just took off with the football. That’s what it’s been all about.”

Newkirk said Logan will go through chemotherapy and radiation for six weeks and will retest to gauge Logan’s progress.

It is a day-by-day process for Logan and for the Odem players and coaches Logan has been an inspiration to them to keep working and keep fighting whether it is on the field or in life.

“He went to school on Friday just like every other kid and just like that it’s all changed and he had no say in it,” Huerta said. “It’s a tough pill to swallow and put yourself in that little kid’s shoes and our kids realize that and want to do everything for him.”

Owls senior running back River Sorrells added: “It’s special, he’s fighting for his life and it’s special that we could fight with him.”